Where QX 770 went!

I too enjoyed the article on the Suzuki GSX 1100 in issue 60 having previously owned one for quite a few years as well. I then noticed the letter from Greg Jeanes in issue 61 where he was recounting his times on his GSX 1100. While reading Greg’s letter I was thinking how similar our bikes were, then at the end of it Greg wonders where old QX-770 is now? That’s when I realized, the bikes aren’t similar because they are in fact the same bike! It seems I may have bought his bike off him. I can’t exactly tell him where it is today but can help him with its history after he sold it.

I purchased the bike in April 1991, off Greg I presume, with 89,000 km on the clock. He also gave me the immaculate 19 litre tank, spare guard, a manual, a few spares and I think possibly a spare damaged 24 litre tank as well. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on this bike which included quite a few trips down to Phillip Island for GPs or Superbikes between 92-03 except a couple of years in the late ‘90s where I unregistered her having purchased a Kawasaki ZXR750 (I’m still getting over the discomfort of those trips). Mates with newer bikes use to get upset on these trips when the old GSX would often attract more attention than their latest and greatest. It amazed me the amount of blokes that would come up and tell me their old war stories of their times on their GSXs. She also did a couple of AMCN ride days at Eastern Creek which the bike and I absolutely loved. I sold the ZXR750 and re-registered the GSX in 2001 riding her until 2003 when sadly she developed a whine in the bottom end. I reluctantly retired her at the end of 2003 and purchased a new Kawasaki ZRX 1200R, a bike not too dissimilar to the old Suzuki. I sold the GSX in April 04 with 125,000 on the clock to a lady who was buying it for her husband to restore. In the time I owned her she virtually looked the same as when Greg sold it to me, which was pretty original. I replaced the rear shocks with Konis and replaced the rusted out standard exhaust with O’Brien then later Tranzac 4-1s. I took a chance and also removed the crash bars, just for looks. During its life I gave the top end a re-fresh (perhaps I should have done the bottom end as well). Until the whine started I had no intention of selling the big Suzuki, it had plenty of power, handled OK, it let you know if you were going too quickly and was a great bike for my needs. I loved the style and the seating position of the bike which probably explains why I replaced her with the ZRX 1200. I definitely agree with Greg about the comfortable seat, the Kwacka is good but the GSX was better. Like Greg I regret selling her and not spending the time and money in fixing her up. I still love the bikes from that era and as well as still having the ZRX, I have a Z1 working to get her back on the road and also a GPZ 900R that I raced at PCRA. Hopefully parts of our QX-770 are still out and about on the roads today. Steve McHugh Wentworthville, NSW